Waiting in a specialist's waiting room

It is very interesting watching and listening to different people as they wait for their appointment. Some people sit and wait very quietly while others seem to fret about having to wait. It is fun to listen to some of the complaints you get to hear while sitting and waiting:

• my appointment was at 9:45 why am I still sitting here waiting it's 10:00
• why did that lady get called before me as I was here first.
• I have things to do so why are they making me wait.

Going to see a specialist is so different than going to see a family doctor. Most family doctors can keep to a schedule a lot easier than a specialist. A family doctor normally doesn't have to deal with emergencies and very complicated issues.

Another thing that people don't understand is when dealing with specialists you are dealing with other patients that are having tests and coming back to see the specialist in one visit. An appointment time is just the approximate start time of what could be a very long process.

If you are lucky your appointment can go quickly or you could be dealing with a many hour process. Understanding that emergencies do take precedent and some issues take extra time to deal with makes the waiting a little easier to deal with.

A sign at a specialist office that says you could be waiting 1-4 hours normally does communicate a lot. Remember you aren't the only one waiting and you aren't alone in your feelings. The worst part of hearing someone complain about the wait is watching someone else who is nervous start to get upset.

Specialists are there to help you and not out to get you. Knowing you are going to have to wait and being prepared to wait is the best thing you can do. My advice is go to a specialist appointment prepared to wait quiet a while and be thankful when your appointment goes fast.